The Starry Queen
by Flamey Owl
Summary: In which a split second before Fairy Sphere is activated on Tenrou, Lucy is whisked away to the Celestial Spirit World by 'Stache Face himself.
1. Chapter 1

_"Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!"_

 _"Takeover: Satan Soul!"_

 _"Babies! Baryon Formation!"_

 _"Requip: Heaven's Wheel!"_

 _"Ice-make: Lance!"_

 _"Sky Dragon's Roar!"_

 _"Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd!"_

 _"Open, gate of the lion, Loke!"_

Despair.

Defiance.

Dread.

Desperation.

Dire love for our family.

They were the only emotions anyone could feel. As we stared death embodiment in the face and fought against it, those were the only feelings which could be felt.

No matter how much we fought however, we all knew that none of us were going to survive this.

For all our stubbornness and craziness, we weren't completely stupid.

 _We knew we were going to die._

Yet we continued fighting.

Every time the beast before us shook off our attacks as if we were mere flies buzzing around, pests, not the living humans we were, we would not stop.

Could not.

For if we did, that would mean the end of our lives. Our family's lives. And none of could accept that.

We were Fairy Tail mages after all. We didn't know the meaning of the phrase 'give up'. Or the word 'stop'. We would always continue fighting for our friends.

Even if it led to certain death. Exactly what was happening now.

As the dragon of death, Acnologia himself, took into the air above us, even with our shouts of glee with him leaving, we knew that was not the case.

Everyone felt it.

The absolute despair which was overpowering nearly everything else.

This was the moment of which we would all die.

Yet, in the back of our minds, our hearts, we felt loved and safe. We also all knew that because we were Fairy Tail, we would always be together. That thought alone washed away the ultimate fear and doom we were feeling.

As we stood in a circle holding hands, on the island of which our first master, Mavis herself was born on, we didn't fear anything.

We only felt overpowering love for each other.

As we stood in that circle, we didn't feel fear, as we knew that we were all together. And that alone was reassuring enough for us.

Even as the beast opened it's jaws to release a dreadful roar, the likes of which nothing can survive, we only felt admiration and love for our guild mates. Our friends. And most importantly, our family.

As the dragon king roared and floored us with its absolute magical power, a certain little blonde haired apparition could be seen not too far off. Her wavy hair blowing with the breeze that was only around her, a shiny golden aura surrounding her small body.

Just as the roar was upon them, another blonde disappeared. There was now a space in the circle of which a blonde woman had been standing in previously.

She had disappeared from sight. From Tenroujima Island altogether. No longer was she even in Earthland.

It would be two years until Fiore laid sight on the blonde woman once again.

For some friends of hers had decided to kidnap her for a while.

* * *

A/N: Heyyy everyone, thank you for taking the time to read this little story. This chapter is supposed to be the prologue, and I apologise for it being so short. Most of my chapters should be around the 1,500-4,000 word area. Thanks again :3

 ** _Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. That right is reserved for Hiro Mishima._**


	2. Chapter 2

I was feeling stubborn. Just like everyone else. 

We may have been on the losing side, but none of us would ever give up. We were all prepared to die there, protecting our family. 

"Hey big dragon! You know where Igneel is right?!" 

_he won't get an answer._

This beast would never tell us. Though then again Natsu had never been one for thinking things through. He was all 'action first, think later'. _Poor Lisanna,_ I couldn't help but think as I reached for one of my golden keys, _she's gonna have to deal with this for the rest of her life if she mate's with him._

Everyone seemed to be convinced that I was in love with Natsu, and vice versa, just he was too dense to realise his feelings for me. Well, as much as I did love him, it would never be in that way. In my opinion the thought was laughable, never would I have those sorts of feelings for him. I loved the carefree nature of my best friend, but I also would never be able to deal with his destructive tendencies forever. Which once mated, you could never 'un-mate'. Nope. Once you mated with a Dragon Slayer, there was no turning back. Not that most people knew this. In fact, I don't think even Lisanna did.

Calling out Loke, I could feel the drain on my magic, as well as the familiar feeling of his celestial aura. We all attacked the beast at the same time, thinking, _hoping_ that our combined effort would be worthwhile. Yet it proved fruitless. He shook off every attack as if a fly were buzzing around him.

The moment he took flight, we were once again hopeful. Stupidly thinking that he would leave us alone. In our guts we knew that would not be the case, but still, we were hopeful. When he inhaled deeply to prepare his roar, we all inwardly panicked.

To be terribly honest it was terrifying, standing there in a circle, readying our magic to join in one large scale defensive spell, despite knowing that it would most likely not work. Knowing that we were probably going to perish. That our trying to stop it would remain useless.

Yet, even when I vanished from sight, from Earthland altogether… they still refused to give up.

* * *

I was confused to say the least. From going to being prepared to die, to enveloped in a warm, golden glow in god knows where. The transition from one place to another, with such a change in atmosphere completely bewildered my brain and body. Though what was more disconcerting was that I had no idea as to where I had ended up.

Yet at the same time I did. It was purely because of the sudden, yet immense, change in my magic. I could feel the difference, it was incredible. I could feel my magic in its 'container' expanding after every breath.

Still with my eyes shut, I listened from wherever I was laying down to try find any other clues. Any reasons at all to contradict the conclusion of which I had been brought to.

That I had left my comrades behind to battle that monster, a fight which no matter how much I didn't want to believe, they would ultimately end up being the losers in. And I don't think that Acnologia would be kind enough to spare their lives after defeating them.

That thought alone saddened me to the point I almost couldn't force myself to open my eyes.

Yet, looking back over the fight in my mind, I couldn't help the nagging feeling of glimpsing a certain girl. A girl who would do everything in her power to help our family. One who I had seen in a picture within a book in the guild's library.

 _Oh good god the guild,_ I thought. They were going to be heartbroken to no end.

Yet it was there again. The feeling. Like I shouldn't be worried about them at all, as there was nothing _to_ worry about. _That girl_. I could swear I had seen her there. Ankle length hair flying in the wind, green eyes closing, lips moving as if chanting.

Shaking myself out of my thoughts, I finally opened my ey-

 ** _"AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_**

Two hazel eyes were in front of me, seemingly staring into my soul, mere millimetres from my own brown ones. Well that was when I first opened them, when the screech was released. Then I head butted the face of which those hazel eyes belonged to with every ounce of strength I contained on reflex.

"LOKE WHAT THE BLOODY HELL WAS THAT FOR YOU COULD'VE SENT ME INTO A COMA FROM HOW MUCH YOU JUST FUCKING SCARED ME WHY IN THE STARS NAME WOULD YOU DO THAT."

I yelled this at the top of my lungs while cradling my poor, sore head, where a very large red lump was already forming.

That was when I looked at him. Really looked at him. I could see the way his shoulders were shaking, his whole body trembling as if in great pain. But then it happened.

Once one girly giggle was released, the raucous laughter followed.

"HAHAHAHAHHAAH," he tried to take a deep breath, but failed, bursting into laughter once again. "Pr-prince… hhah.. princess you- pff.. shou-should've se.. hahah.. your f-fahehe… your face… it was.. pff .. priceless-hah." He tried to say in between gasps for breath and more girlish giggling.

The only consolation I was offered in this situation was that he also sported a red lump on his forehead. Though that wasn't enough.

"Lucy Kick!" I yelled out while kicking him hard enough to throw him into one of the walls.

After I was satisfied that he was knocked out, I looked around the room I was in. It was lavish to say the utmost least. Every item of furniture seemed to have a quality about it that said ' _not from Earthland_ ' and instead seemed almost otherworldly. The room was as large as my apartment in Magnolia, with its four poster canopy bed facing out through the wall of windows, show casing the spectacular views in all their glory.

The bed was in the middle of the room, with the head against the back wall which was painted with a beautiful design. Like a clear, starry sky filled with swirls of different colours and patterns. The base colour seemed to be a very deep blue-y purple, the stars either a bright gold or silver, with the swirls ranging from emerald green to baby pink to fiery orange. It was magnificent, a piece of artwork in and of itself.

The floor was simple Oakwood floorboards, yet paired with the walls it seemed like so much more. The sheets on the bed I was now sitting up in were of the finest silver coloured silk, the sofas at the end of the bed facing each other a soft cream. On the wall to my right were two doors on near opposite side of the wall. One was near the windows, while the other was near where I still sat.

Kicking my feet off the bed I hopped onto the floor, and while shaking off the minor nausea that I felt, I took in my surroundings once again. Loke was leaning against the far left wall, seemingly waking up. Walking to the fully windowed wall before me, I took in the positively breathtaking view. There were planets of greatly varying sizes scattered around, suspended of movement, with rocks, crystals and structures dotted around on them. In between these were thousands of tiny brightly coloured stars and bubbles.

"Stunning, isn't it Princess?"

Turning my head slightly so I could see his face I replied just as softly, "It really is."

I took a deep breath to steady the thoughts and emotions roiling through me and turned to face him properly, from where he was standing right next to me. "What happened to my friends Loke? Acnologia was there.. we were fighting him and…"

He gently wiped the stray tear from my face, "It's okay Lucy. They're okay. Mavis was there and she cast a spell to protect them and he left." He gently smiled at me.

"So when can I see them?" I turned a slightly hopeful face towards his now nervous one. I noted his fidgeting and reluctance to speak.

"Loke, tell me the truth. Are they okay?"

"Yes."

"So what aren't you telling me? Does it have something to do with why I'm here? How I'm not dying right now?" I said as I eyed the still ripped, dirty and torn clothing I was wearing.

"W-well.." he pointedly avoided eye contact with me, instead choosing to face the ceiling. "Did I ever tell you how much I love you?"

"Loke." I warned in a sterner voice, "What are you avoiding?"

"Well Princess.. the thing i-"

"Your friends are most definitely safe, Lucy."

Both Loke and I turned at the same time to face the owner of the husky voice. And by the Stars was he was one of the most sexy men I had ever had the utmost pleasure of meeting. He was tall. Very tall. And his tanned skin was covered in layers of muscle. His golden hair was long, falling down his back. I almost let a little bit of drool out. He looked absolutely delicious.

"Lightning Rod. What business do have with my Princess?"

"Telling her what you were too pathetic to, damn cat."

"Look, Sparky, while your visit here was unappreciated, you can leave now."

"Look, Kitten, keep your damn mewling to yourself, and le-"

" _YOU STUPID PIZZAZZY WANNABE I'M A GODDAMN LION."_

 _"YOU ARE A KITTEN PLAYING PRETEND AND FOR ZUES'S SAKE I'M NOT A PIZZAZ-"_

" **Stop**." Four eyes which were seething in anger immediately turned to me. A little bit intimidated by the pure gorgeousness in front of me, I took a deep breath, let it out, smiled and continued. "I presume you are Perseus? Hi, I'm Lucy. Would either of you tell me what's _fucking_ happening please? My friends were just attacked by a bloody dragon, I ended up here, and no one's telling me anything. So, feel free to explain."

That seemed to shake them out of their hate filled argument, as their now serious selves urned to each other and nodded slightly, seemingly conveying some sort of silent conversation. Perseus stepped forwards. "Lucy, the little girl cast a powerful spell which ensured your friends' safety. However, for such a powerful spell there is always a price.."

Loke then moved forwards. "Princess, those members will remain in that spell for an unspecified amount of time. They will not age, and cannot be harmed, but Scopi said it could potentially be for 10 years. Now knowing them it will not be as long as that, but we have to be prepared for it. I'm sorry Lucy, there is no way to reverse it or remove them from it. All we can do is wait."

I could feel my legs about to give up, so I quickly sat down on the nearest sofa. I let out the shaky breath I had been holding. I covered my face with my hands to hide my tears. "Wh-who's Scopi?"

Loke was already by my side sitting next to me, holding me by the time I said that. I was trying to lighten the mood, but it didn't help. It just served to make more tears. "Shhh, it's okay Princess. I'm here. Shh."

I guess all of my emotions over the past few days finally caught up to me then. As I broke down in tears, Loke never once let go of me, continuing to whisper reassuring words to me. I couldn't hear the door closing of when Perseus left, or when someone else came in. Just my heartbroken, emotional mess of a self. I knew I should be happy, my friends were alive (technically) and safe. But I couldn't be. I might not see them for 10 years. How would I be able to cope?

I didn't know when it happened, but I must've eventually cried my self to sleep. I just barely noticed the softness which I had been placed on, the warmth now covering me. I sleepily and sluggishly lifted my hand, latching onto my loyal spirits' larger one. Almost so silent I couldn't be heard, "Thank you.. Loke.."

Then I welcomed the warm blackness which was sleep.

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. That right is reserved for Hiro Mashima**_


	3. Chapter 3

Two figures sat, watching a sleeping girl.

A female with short pink hair and a peculiar taste in fashion was in the room with the girl. The other was sitting on his throne, watching what was happening through a magical pool of starry, shimmering water as the room of which the girl lay in did not aptly accommodate for his mountainous size.

The girl, Lucy, had cried herself to sleep within the warm embrace of her lion friend last night. She had been placed on the ultimate comfort which was her bed in the room which seemed to be hers for however long she stayed with her spirits. Her clothes had been changed while she sleep by Virgo. The masochistic yet simultaneously sadistic spirit was also the one sitting in Lucy's room, watching over her princess.

It had already been seven hours in the Celestial Spirit World, meaning weeks had passed on Earthland. Though it was an expected reaction of the girl, it was still disappointing to the Spirit King. He had saved his friend for a reason, and she was sleeping it away. Granted she had no knowledge of any of this and she had just been told she might not see her family for up to ten years, only after being attacked by a dark guild and a dragon.. but even so, for the honour and privilege the king was granting his old friend, she must not waste any more time. And so he telepathically signalled to Virgo that it was time to awaken the blonde beauty.

The pink haired punishment loving maiden looked lovingly at her mistress, who lay curled up in a ball from when Loke had left her. She then received the order from her king to wake the woman. And so doing what anyone else in this situation would, Virgo walked through the door closest to the bed into the bathroom and started running a hot bath. Normally, if Lucy was awoken when she wasn't ready to, she would be grouchy. Even if for a very urgent and important reason, yes she would get up, but she would be pissed to no end. And a pissed Lucy was a scary Lucy. However, as Freed of all people had found, there was a loophole.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

* * *

Lucy had been scanning the request board for a simple mission she could take alone, as her rent was due in a couple days and she didn't have enough jewels. Among the many different fliers she had found one which was simply getting rid of a curse placed on an old temple in a forest. Recently anyone who had gone there, or even travelling in the area had not been coming back, and the client requested that they de-curse the place so that people can go there once again. Simple.

The reward had been more than she had expected, more than double of what she needed for her rent, and decided to bring a friend. At first she thought of Levy, as she was very knowledgeable about most things, basically an encyclopaedia in human form and her best friend, but remembered another guild mate whom she'd been meaning to talk to. For awhile now, Lucy had wanted to discuss with the green haired rune mage. He was also extremely intelligent, had a passion for literature, and as an added bonus specialised on curses. The Raijinshu were having a break from missions for a month as Evergreen had severely hurt herself, and Wendy was on a long S-class with Team Natsu.

This made the perfect opportunity for Lucy to get to know Freed while also earning her rent money.

So she had grabbed the mission from the board and practically bounced her way to where the Raijinshu – minus Evergreen – were sitting. The two remaining members had looked up at her with very puzzled expressions. Since Fantasia, and Laxus getting exiled, most members of the guild had been too scared to approach them, thinking that the Raijinshu would be angry and attack whoever got too close. Though along with Master Makarov and Mirajane, Lucy saw passed their indifferent and aloof façade. She could see the lingering regret and sadness within them.

So when she saw the very clear confusion on their faces, the blonde offered a large, bright, welcoming grin. Bickslow and Freed exchanged a quick, nervous glance, before looking back to the blonde with small, wary smiles.

Bouncing to a stop in front of them, with a few other guild members looking on in trepidation, Lucy's smile somehow got even bigger. "Hey Bickslow! Hey Freed! How are you guys?"

The look they both gave her was slightly taken aback and even more confused. "Uh, hey, Cosplayer. Yeah, we're alright. I think. What are.. what are you doing?" The Seith mage replied.

"Well," the blonde started, "I was gonna ask Freed if he would like to join me on this mission?" She said while looking at the greenette, her tone turning more questioning towards the end.

Even though the Rune mage was generally more subdued in showing his emotions than others, the shock was shown clear on his slightly more effeminate features. "Lucy-san? Are you sure you mean to ask me?"

The blonde's smile turned humourous, "Why of course."

After some more discussion, Freed had agreed to join the Spirit mage at a specified destination and time. After both arriving two days later at the edge of the forest which held the temple , they went in, not knowing what trials awaited them.

The client had offered the two mages minimal directions through the forest, and with it taking about five odd days to walk through from one side to the other in a straight line, it was fortunate that they found the temple in only a couple. Though in that time they were faced with monsters, quick sand, vicious animals, sinking mud, random booby traps, a hidden chasm, half a mile wide rivers, unpassable thorn walls, and a few more dangerous creatures. In the end, when they finally found the temple, both Freed and Lucy were absolutely flabbergasted by what they saw.

All of the missing people were completely fine and roaming around freely, seemingly making dinner as it was getting dark. They all looked quite dirty and wore different animal hides and leaves. For being missing for two months, no one really expected the missing people to still be alive, yet here they were, looking like natives, happy and unharmed, bar a few scratches here and there.

Still shocked and wanting to know what in the bloody hell was happening, both mages strode out into the open, waiting for someone to notice them. And notice them they did.

It took a few hours of talking to and the actual natives to appear, but Lucy and Freed managed to get the gist of what happened, even if no one said it outright. Supposedly, the natives who lived in the forest got annoyed with people going onto their land, and so decided that anyone who 'trespassed' would become one of them. In the natives' minds, they thought that if people went missing, then no more would come. So they placed a curse on the temple to which anyone who touched it would not want to leave the forest, and instead learn to live in it happily. Feeling bad for them, Lucy made a deal with the natives which granted both sides to benefit, while Freed secretly and silently de cursed the temple.

They both left the forest with the missing people, and as soon as they collected their reward booked a hotel room with two beds for the night. After both showering and eating, they collapsed into their respective beds for the night.

The Rune mage awoke first, the blonde lightly snoring and went straight to the bathroom with the intention of drawing a bath for himself. Though as soon as his hand touched the tap, Lucy was suddenly next to him, saying how as much as she wanted a bath, she was going to the hot spring they offered.

The next day they had to stop in a town for a night, as the next train for Magnolia wasn't until the next morning. Early in the morning at the hotel, once again Freed woke first, though this time he had already showered and was planning on running a bath for his new friend. And once again, as soon as he touched the tap, Lucy was walking through the door, asking if he liked baths, all previous signs of sleep gone.

After the mission, Lucy and Freed had multiple sleepovers, growing to be very close friends. And every single time there was intention for running a bath, Lucy would awaken. Thus how Freed found the loophole. _  
_

* * *

 **END FLASHBACK _  
_**

* * *

Setting her thoughts towards the bath she was about to run, the pink haired maid spirit was just turning the tap when Lucy seemingly appeared out of nowhere right next to her.

"Good morning princess. I hope you slept well. Is it punishment time?"

Sweat dropping, the kneeling blonde replied, "Uhh…no…it's not," shaking her head she smiled, thinking about how much she loved her strange spirit friends. "But good morning Virgo. I did, thanks."

"Princess, there is a reason that you are here with us right now. And after your bath you are to attend breakfast with the rest of us Zodiac, a select few others and our King. He will explain everything. I will leave some clothes for you on your bed Princess. Will that be all?"

"Yes, thank you Virgo," Lucy answered, smiling slightly worriedly.

"Very well Princess, we will see you soon."

Standing up and already nearing the exit from the bedroom, there was a very loud, "WAIT! VIRGO HOW WILL I FIND THE ROOM?!" Which was shouted as the blonde near sprinted to her spirit.

The maid answered her mistress with her normal no emotion showing face, "Perseus will be waiting for you outside Princess. I must go now, the King is calling me."

And like that she vanished, leaving Lucy stuttering and blinking in confusion.

* * *

A/N: I AM SO SORRY this chapter was supposed to be longer and i was supposed to update sooner but neither ended up happening. I just felt like I really needed to update.

But thank you everyone so much for reading, favouriting, following and reviewing. Warm fuzzies and love to you all :3

 _Tiernank, yorusorra, PersonaUserOrpheus3245, Equinoxell, westerngoddess, SailorTardis498_ and _Shadow werewolf54_ THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR REVIEWING. I LOVE YOU ALL.

PS. I do know of the time difference, and she won't be staying there the whole time. Thanks anyway.

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. That right goes to Hiro Mashima.**


	4. Chapter 4

Sighing, the blonde started mentally accepting her fate, as well as that of her lost friends'. After her sleep, Lucy realised that as long as her Fairy Tail family were alive, it didn't matter how long she had to wait to see them again. She would prefer to not have to wait, but as long as they were not in any pain and she could see them again, she would be happy. She had to. For her friends trapped, and those still living who could very well not know that they are alive.

Walking back to the still running bath, Lucy found that it was at a near perfect depth and temperature. She turned off the tap, and stripped off her silky spirit world pyjamas and stepped into the luxurious looking bath, near moaning in absolute delight as the hot, soothing water made contact with her skin. Straightaway she could tell this was not normal water, instead it must've been the amazingness that Virgo would sometimes sneak her to heal her wounds after particularly harsh battles, the relaxant that her spirit friend would give her when she couldn't sleep right. Those precious few times were some of the best damn moments of Lucy's life, and she couldn't help but reaffirm those thoughts now that she was experiencing it again.

Sighing in pleasure, she watched the steam rise in the beautiful bathroom as she lathered up the soap, preparing to wash clean her body. Once finished that, she got the unique looking hair wash, and got to work on massaging it through her hair. Doing this, Lucy couldn't help but remember the times when her friends would sneak into her bath with her, how she would be angry for all of five seconds, before she smiled in delight at having someone to wash her hair for her like her mother did all those years ago. In particular, the blonde thought of the haughty acting medusa of the guild.

Just the day after Freed and Lucy's mission together, Evergreen had noticed the difference in the Rune mage's mood. He seemed happier. Then the next day he even left the Raijinshuu's table in the back to sit with the blonde at the bar. Both the Fairy mage and Bickslow had been outrageously shocked by this, not angry or anything, just greatly surprised. This happened everyday for the next week.

Just for a couple of hours, when the Celestial Spirit mage was not on a quick mission to get a few extra jewels, Freed would go and sit next to her. Sometimes the whole guild would go near silent after hearing the Rune mage full on cackle with laughter, wondering how Lucy got the straight faced man to show any emotion, let alone hard blown chuckles, the occasional little snort letting loose.

This of course garnered the attention of many, though only a few bothered trying to dig deeper into what was happening. Team Natsu - minus Lucy - were still on the long s-class mission, set to return soon, yet oblivious to anything other than the ordinary occurring at the guild. Though as soon as Freed had sat with the Celestial mage for the first time, Cana had been quick to set her cards up. After she had found her answers, the drunk had refused to supply anyone with their wanted ones, claiming that it would ruin the betting she had going. Which was a very accurate presumption to be fair, she had nearly the whole guild in on it after all.

Shaking her head to rid herself of thoughts which would most likely make her once again sad, Lucy finished off the rest of her bathing routine in peace. Stepping out of the gloriousness, she grabbed a plump, fluffy white towel from a shelf next to her and wrapped it around her body. Looking confusedly around the bath lead the blonde to believe there was no plug to pull, "What the actual fuck. Am I supposed to just leave the water here? I need instructions for this type of bull shittery," she huffed, irritation lacing her tone.

"Instructions-"

"GAH!?"

"-have been granted," the voice which spoke seemed to be of female nature, with an odd accent Lucy had never heard. It was even toned, and didn't stop when Lucy's shout of surprise had erupted. An automated system as she would later learn.

Heart in panic mode, it felt like it would shoot right out of the blonde's chest. Her pulse had sky rocketed and her breathing needed to slow down. "Jesus fucking Christ.." she muttered, mentally willing her body to just _calm the fuck down._

Four deep breaths later, Lucy's attention was brought to a glowing sheet of paper floating in front of her face, "Of course there's flying paper. Why the hell wouldn't there be?" She asked herself, sarcasm and annoyance lacing her voice, a little pinch of 'I'm done with everything, when can I leave' oozing out of it. Tilting her head up slightly to inspect the paper, she realised crappily drawn pictures and scratchy writing covered it. _Holy shit. That's a_ glowing _sparkly crayon._ Blinking a few times, Lucy made a mental note to ask for some later and started concentrating, attempting to decode it.

A good three minutes later had the blonde believing she was either insane, or a real freaking genius. Eyeing the switch on the wall, she reached out and flicked it up, expecting for fireworks and flashy lacrima lights to greet her, maybe some cool tunes in the background. Yet nothing happened. Frowning, she spun in a circle, wondering if she flipped the wrong switch. Though her eyes widened dramatically and her mouth dropped open a little bit when she saw that a little square chunk of the bottom of the bath had been lifted. As in floating a few inches above the newly shown gap, where the bath water was nearly finished rushing through. The blonde didn't know where it lead, but from what she gathered of the depictions on the sheet of paper which had now disappeared, Lucy guessed it was supposed to happen.

Once all the water had been drained, the square section of.. the bath… had flipped itself so it was vertically straight, allowing the little bit of water on its top to fall through the gap like the rest had. It then restraightened so it was once again horizontal, and slowly fell back into place. As if nothing had ever happened. As if there had not been a robotic voice, a flying piece of paper covered in _glowing_ sparkly crayon, and an actual chunk of the freaking bath which floated. Lucy already felt tired from this rather strange ordeal, and couldn't wait to sleep tonight.

Readjusting the fluffy towel covering her body, she shook her head and walked out to her bedroom of sorts (she had woken up there and been put to sleep there, only to be woken _again_ there, so she felt it safe to assume it was her room for the time being).

Just as her loyal maid spirit had said, there was an outfit neatly laid out before her upon the silk sheets. Though it was different to the usual clothing she was supplied with, Lucy could not complain. It looked gorgeous. Once on, she couldn't help but let her vanity out. It was very simple, yet classy and elegant with just the right pinch of sexy and fierce. After putting the boots on, amazed as always with Virgo's wonderful fashion taste, she carefully put her hair into a bun, leaving a few bangs out, and walked to the door. Glancing over her shoulder to look once again at the windows, she took a deep, steadying breath, and opened the wooden door.

Perseus had been waiting for a while now, standing in a rather nice hallway, gazing at a painting of the zodiacs. He was getting bored though, and was very tempted to barge in and see what Lucy was doing. Just as he pushed himself off of where he was leaning against the wall however, the door to the blonde's room opened, and out she came, looking absolutely stunning. He couldn't help but let his mouth hang open just that little bit while he shamelessly stared at her. How could he not? The first and only time he had seen her, she had been sporting grimy skin, and an extremely torn, dirty, excuse for clothing.

Now she was dressed in a gorgeous black dress, which hugged and accentuated her bountiful curves. It had a halter neck, and while from the the front seemed to be slightly more conservative in nature, the dress was mostly backless, adding to the overall look. While the dress was long, nearly reaching the floor, there were two major slits on both legs, which reached the tops of her legs, revealing thigh-high, white boots underneath. Adorning the top two inches of the heeled boots was a dark grey strip, meticulous patterns in a lighter shade of grey on it.

Perseus cleared his throat after a minute of ogling, ignoring the blush coating his face, instead resorting to his flirty personality. "You look ravishing Lucy, good enough to eat I'd say," a wink followed his statement, a smirk settling in.

She sputtered, her eyes widening and her face blushing a brilliant shade of red, drool forming in her mouth at the sight of such a beautiful male specimen, the blonde female's brain obviously short circuiting a bit.

"Tch. Idiot, you done flirting with the brat yet? The King's waiting," That voice snapped the two blonde's out of their bubble, instead bringing shivers of fear.

"Y-yes mam," Perseus and Lucy automatically stammered in sync, glancing to each other in terror, before quickly following the floating mermaid, who had already started down the hall.

After being briskly lead through halls, rooms and down some stairs, a huge set of doors was opened for them, and as she stepped through it, Lucy realised they were now out of the building, out amongst the stars and planets. It was absolutely breathtaking.

She was completely stunned by its beauty, the view through windows having done zero justice. Everything was colourful and bright, vibrancy having increased dramatically since it was not behind glass anymore. Lucy stood, slowly spinning in a circle. So many different planets could be seen, each having their own unique terrain and look, most having bridges between them. Extravagant looking structures were on most, though some looked to be on their side, a few even upside down. In between all this were constellations among the thousands of shimmering stars. Everything was sparkling and glowing, every colour known visible.

Realising Lucy wasn't following them any longer, Aquarius went back and grabbed her arm, the still shocked-in-awe blonde being pulled along. The blue haired mer-demon smiled softly as she looked at her key holder, "It's beautiful isn't it?" she whispered gently, waving for Perseus to go on ahead of them.

Lucy shook her head slowly in amazement, "Yeah," she looked up at Aquarius and smiled, "it really is."

"Tch. Stupid girl." _You really are just like Layla. She would be so proud of you, Lucy._

/

"Old friend, it's good to see you again."

The booming voice was jovial, and had Lucy smiling even more, "You too 'Stache Face, how've ya been?"

After the little moment between mermaid spirit and mermaid spirit master, Aquarius had reverted back to her normal self, and insisted upon dragging Lucy – by the ear – across a huge floating bridge to a small planet of which spirits dined at. Though as explained it was generally an optional event, as every spirit had their own house (habitat in cases such as Musca the fly's), and food source within those homes, this morning was mandatory. Nearly every spirit in the Celestial Realm knew of Lucy, one of the kindest and strongest Celestial Spirit Mages in Earthland. And they all immediately recognised her walking onto the platform with Aquarius, cuddling with a Canis Minor who had jumped into her arms, a huge smile on her face.

She had entered to silence at first, which quickly changed to welcomes of varying degrees, cheering, compliments from her own spirit friends, a huge 'I love Lucy' sign held by a cat calling Loke, an even bigger 'I love Lucy _more_ ' sign held by a smirking Perseus, and different forms of introduction. Canis Minor's had jumped all over Lucy on her way to the largest dining table, and she couldn't contain her glee at how freaking cute they all were.

The Spirit King smiled down at her, "Yes, very good. Now everyone, feast!"

/

Attempting to stand, a still rather smothered Lucy stumbled around, every inch of herself covered in the little spirits of which Plue is apart of. The spirits who hadn't slunk off back to their homes once finished eating were laughing silently on the side lines, each grimacing at their own memories of this same predicament occurring. Most more than once.

The Spirit King's features grew more serious, and he mentally called for all spirits other than Lucy's own, as well as a select few, to return to their houses. The once sparkling and joyous atmosphere had dimmed, now replaced with a tentative sombreness. "Old friend, though I do wish for your stay here to be pleasant, we first must get the serious matters over."

Recognising the seriousness in his booming voice, Lucy sat straighter where she was placed across from the Spirit King. Tipping her head slightly so as to signify him to continue, the King crossed his arms, preparing for a long conversation. "Lucy, you have been made aware that your guild mates are stuck for an indefinite period of time?"

She nodded again, "Yes. And I would like to thank Scopi for looking into that."

"Very well. Now, have you any set plans of what you are to do while awaiting your guild mates' return?"

Not quite comprehending where this was leading, Lucy halted everything else in her mind and thought about it. Within those few minutes the silence was so thick and palpable, a butter knife would've had trouble cutting through.

Finally she came to a conclusion. There were of course many possible options, but only one really stood out to the blonde, "I'll return to the guild, tell them what's happened. I think I would like to start doing proper training so I can protect everyone, including my spirits. I would also like to try finding more spirits as well, find anyone who's in a bad situation and get them out. I don't want any celestial spirit to be taken for granted."

"Hmm," the king stroked his long beard, acting as if contemplating her response, while inwardly grinning like a fool. Throughout the telling of her plan of action, a determined glint had settled itself within the blonde woman's eyes, obvious to all present, "very well old friend, I have a proposal."

In the whole of the realm, only two celestial spirits other than the king himself knew what was about to be said. Curiously, neither of them were in attendance at the moment. Though everyone who was gathered could feel suspense and anticipation flooding through their bodies. Unfortunately for them, the king was having a little fun with them, purposely pausing for much longer than necessary before sharing his proposal.

Lucy quickly glanced around at everyone, noting that several spirits had sweat about to start forming from how much they were concentrating. Though honestly she herself wasn't exactly fairing any better as she waited for the king to say the remaining words.

"Lucy Heartfilia, I offer you a deal on account of a vow. You shall remain here for 12 celestial days, approximately three Earthland years. I will personally oversee the training you are to receive, a few select spirits helping where I myself cannot. In response, you will vow to protect all celestial spirits. Vow that any spirit in your care will never needlessly fall to harm. That any spirit you find is welcome to join you, though none are forced to. That you would become a Guardian for this world. Meaning that before anything else, the Celestial Spirits come first and foremost. If you should choose to accept, the proof of this vow will take form as a permanent marking on your skin. If you should choose to accept, and fail in keeping the vow, I will personally terminate all contracts you hold, and strip you of all your magic." At that, many gasps were released at once, Lucy herself swallowing thickly. "As you should know, with all your magic taken you will die very shortly afterwards."

"You say you wish to help your spirit friends. That you also wish to grow stronger. This is the ultimate opportunity for both of these things. Though if you should choose to say no, then we will leave it at that, and nothing more will come of it. I will return you to Earthland and you can carry on with your plan. I will now give you one hour to decide which direction your path should take. Please consider everything carefully."

Before anything else could be said, any movement made, three little words hung heavy in the air. Three little words that could quite possibly irrevocably change her life. Three little words. Filled with unrivalled, unparalleled determination and passion.

"I'll do it."

 _/_

A/N: Haha. Hah. Sooo I don't really have an excuse for why this has taken me so long to update, other than genuinely forgetting about this story. But I would like to say a MASSIVE thanks to everyone who has read, favourited and followed this story so far. Also a special thanks to the reviewers:

 _Mizz Myztery, DemonicFangirl666, Yuuki Heartfilia-Dragneel, the real narnia, usagi-no-usotsuki, kuraheiritr JIO, saskiarosee, CoSmO333, SailorTardis498_ and guest reviewers _Annie and PrinceXavier._ ALL OF YOUR REVIEWS GAVE ME THE INSPIRATION TO CONTINUE WRITING SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND MANY WARM FUZZIES TO YOU.

Reviews are very much welcome, along with constructive criticism. If there's any noticeable mistakes please feel free to tell me via review or pm. Hopefully the next chapter won't have too long a wait XD

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. That right goes to Hiro Mashima.**


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